1741.

I

ner your memory will ferve, correct the mistaken paffages, or add any thing that is omitted. Atat. 32. fhould be very glad to have fomething of the Duke of N-le's speech, which would be particularly of fervice.

"A gentleman has Lord Bathurft's speech to add fomething to."

And July 3, 1744, "You will fee what stupid, low, abominable stuff is put upon your noble and learned friend's character, fuch as I fhould quite reject, and endeavour to do fomething better towards doing juftice to the character. But as I cannot expect to attain my defires in that refpect, it would be a great fatisfaction, as well as an honour to our work, to have the favour of the genuine fpeech. It is a method that feveral have been pleased to take, as I could show, but I think myself under a restraint. I fhall fay fo far, that I have had fome by a third hand, which I understood well enough to come from the firft; others by penny-poft, and others by the speakers themfelves, who have been pleased to visit St. John'sGate, and fhow particular marks of their being pleafed "."

There is no reason, I believe, to doubt the veracity of Cave. It is, however, remarkable, that none of these letters are in the years during which Johnson alone furnished the Debates, and one of them is in the very year after he ceased from that labour. Johnson told me, that as foon as he found

7 I fuppofe in another compilation of the fame kind.

* Doubtlefs, Lord Hardwick.

• Birch's MSS, in the British Museum, 4302.

that

1741.

that the fpeeches were thought genuine, he determined that he would write no more of them; for Etat. 32. "he would not be acceffary to the propagation of falfehood." And fuch was the tenderness of his confcience, that a fhort time before his death he expreffed his regret for his having been the authour of fictions, which had paffed for realities.

He nevertheless agreed with me in thinking, that the debates which he had framed were to be valued as Orations upon queftions of publick importance. They have accordingly been collected in volumes, properly arranged, and recommended to the notice of parliamentary speakers by a preface, written by no inferiour hand'. I must, however, observe, that although there is in those Debates a wonderful ftore of political information, and very powerful eloquence, I cannot agree that they exhibit the manner of each particular speaker, as Sir John Hawkins seems to think. But, indeed, what opinion can we have of his judgement, and taste in publick speaking, who prefumes to give, as the characteristicks of two celebrated orators, "the deep-mouthed rancour of Pulteney, and the yelping pertinacity of Pitt."

This year I find that his tragedy of IRENE had been for fome time ready for the stage, and that his neceffities made him defirous of getting as much as he could for it, without delay; for there is the following letter from Mr. Cave to Dr. Birch, in the fame volume of manuscripts in the British

I am affured that the editor is Mr. George Chalmers, whofe commercial works are well known and esteemed. 2 Hawkins's Life of Johnson, p. 100.

VOL. I.

K

Museum

1741.

Etat. 32.

Etat. 33.

Museum from whence I copied thofe above quoted.
They were moft obligingly pointed out to me by
Sir William Musgrave, one of the Curators of that
noble repofitory.

"I HAVE put Mr. Gray's' hands, in

"Sept. 9, 1741.

Mr. Johnfon's play into order to fell it to him, if he is inclined to buy it; but I doubt whether he will or not. He would difpofe of the copy, and whatever advantage may be made by acting it. Would your fociety, or any gentleman or body of men that you know, take fuch a bargain? He and I are very unfit to deal with theatrical perfons. Fleetwood was to have acted it last season, but Johnson's diffidence or prevented it."

5

I have already mentioned that "Irene" was not brought into publick notice till Garrick was manager of Drury-lane theatre.

In 1742 he wrote for the Gentleman's Magazine the "Preface," the "Parliamentary Debates,** Effay on the Account of the Conduct of the Duchefs of Marlborough,*" then the popular topick of converfation. This Effay is a short but masterly performance. We find him in No. 13 of his Rambler, cenfuring a profligate fentiment in that "Account;" and again infifting upon it

3 A bookfeller of London.

* Not the Royal Society; but the Society for the encouragement of learning, of which Dr. Birch was a leading member. Their object was to affift authours in printing expenfive works. It exifted from about 1735 to 1746, when having incurred a confiderable debt, it was diffolved.

There is no erafure here, but a mere blank; to fill may be an exercife for ingenious conjecture.

up

which

ftrenuously

1742.

Atat. 33.

ftrenuously in converfation". "An Account of
the Life of Peter Burman,*" I believe chiefly
taken from a foreign publication; as, indeed, he
could not himfelf know much about Burman;
"Additions to his Life of Baretier ;*" "The
Life of Sydenham,*" afterwards prefixed to Dr.
Swan's edition of his works; " Propofals for
printing Bibliotheca Harleiana, or a Catalogue of
the Library of the Earl of Oxford.*" His account
of that celebrated collection of books, in which he
difplays the importance to literature, of what the
French call a catalogue raisonné, when the subjects
of it are extensive and various, and it is executed
with ability, cannot fail to imprefs all his readers
with admiration of his philological attainments.
It was afterwards prefixed to the first volume of
the Catalogue, in which the Latin accounts of
books were written by him. He was employed
in this business by Mr. Thomas Ofborne the book-
feller, who purchased the library for 13,000l. a
fum, which Mr. Oldys fays, in one of his manu-
fcripts, was not more than the binding of the
books had coft; yet, as Dr. Johnson affured me,
the flowness of the fale was fuch, that there was
not much gained by it. It has been confidently
related, with many embellishments, that Johnson
one day knocked Osborne down in his fhop, with
a folio, and put his foot upon his neck.
fimple truth I had from Johnfon himself.
he was impertinent to me, and I beat him. But
it was not in his fhop: it was in my own chamber."

The

"Sir,

8 Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 3d edit. p. 167.

1742.

Etat. 33.

A very diligent obferver may trace him where we should not easily suppose him to be found. I have no doubt that he wrote the little abridgement entitled "Foreign Hiftory," in the Magazine for December. To prove it, I fhall quote the Introduction. "As this is that feafon of the year in which Nature may be faid to command a fufpenfion of hoftilities, and which feems intended, by putting a short stop to violence and flaughter, to afford time for malice to relent, and animofity to fubfide; we can scarce expect any other accounts than of plans, negociations and treaties, of propofals for peace, and preparations for war." alfo this paffage: "Let those who despise the capacity of the Swifs, tell us by what wonderful policy, or by what happy conciliation of interefts, it is brought to pass, that in a body made up of different communities and different religions, there should be no civil commotions, though the people are fo warlike, that to nominate and raise an army is the fame."

As

I am obliged to Mr. Aftle for his ready permiffion to copy the two following letters, of which the originals are in his poffeffion. Their contents fhew that they were written about this time, and that Johnson was now engaged in preparing an historical account of the British Parliament.

"SIR,

To Mr. CAVE.

[No date.]

"I BELIEVE I am going to write a long letter, and have therefore taken a whole

fheet